I can spend days modding a game, then play the game for 5 minutes and then go back to not touching the game for months / years.
Sooooo.... yes, maybe, I don't know?
Sooooo.... yes, maybe, I don't know?
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Has Cheating/Mods In Singleplayer Games Ruined The Vanilla Experience For You?
- Thread starter Deleted member 18944
- Start date
Depending on what cheats you are using. Infinite money in ff8 is going to help alot, infinite bullet in rdr2 maybe wont
Sort of? Unless you're equating mods and cheating, in which case it sounds like you're choosing your Skyrim mods poorly =P
Not all mods are designed to make the game easier. Many, for Skyrim especially, are designed to make the game more challenging, add new content, improve build options and diversity, and help you make the game more interesting as you tweak it to your preferences.
I wouldn't ever play Skyrim without Enai's gameplay mods, or without Beyond Skyrim's world expansions (soon to be bigger than the base game and all official DLC combined), not because I've made the game trivial and boring by modding, but because the vanilla game now feels trivial and boring without the added challenge and worldspaces I've become used to.
Then don't do it!
Some of the most fun can be had by breaking the rules to make things harder or bizarre too.
Mods and cheats can make things more fun, but honestly, I wouldn't use them if they negatively impact the way you see a game because of it.
I used an action replay way back in the day to craft the perfect Pokemon team for multiplayer. It was great for the multiplayer with my friends, but it killed my interest in continuing the single player game (even if I had finished the game already). It was enough for me to not pick up Pokemon games for the next while. I think something similar happened with several other games at the time too, but I can't give any examples off the top of my head.
That being said, I loved my N64 GameShark and GCN Action Replay as a kid. I used it to unlock things too challenging for me at the time to unlock (hello GoldenEye cheats). Plus, instead of using a memory card, I simply used the GameShark each time to unlock all the content (Beetle Adventure Racing and 007 The World Is Not Enough come to mind). Being able to access inaccessible content (such as the AX parts in F-Zero GX) was also mindblowing to me.
These days, I've taken a new interest in romhacks, particularly simple Quality-of-Life improvements. I think there's a lot of potential behind hacks in general, and I wouldn't be surprised if people started paying more attention to them in the upcoming years.
So yes OP, I can relate to your struggles. It is possible to compromise your experience with a cheating device. However, I still miss them.
That being said, I loved my N64 GameShark and GCN Action Replay as a kid. I used it to unlock things too challenging for me at the time to unlock (hello GoldenEye cheats). Plus, instead of using a memory card, I simply used the GameShark each time to unlock all the content (Beetle Adventure Racing and 007 The World Is Not Enough come to mind). Being able to access inaccessible content (such as the AX parts in F-Zero GX) was also mindblowing to me.
These days, I've taken a new interest in romhacks, particularly simple Quality-of-Life improvements. I think there's a lot of potential behind hacks in general, and I wouldn't be surprised if people started paying more attention to them in the upcoming years.
So yes OP, I can relate to your struggles. It is possible to compromise your experience with a cheating device. However, I still miss them.
My first run of most games is done vanilla. Except Bethesda's games because they always require an unofficial patch.
In the case of TES, mods and console commands are the tools that enable you to play the roles you really want to play in a RPG. Tired of playing the same Jack-of-all-trades prisoner over and over again? Download A New Life and start a different adventure as a vampire or a rich merchant!
Not a cheat, but ENB ruined Skyrim on PC for me as I could not stop trying to find the perfect visual balance, so it was tweak, tweak, tweak, rather than play. I've enjoyed the game far more on PS4 with a few gameplay (mild cheats like richer merchants and more carry weight) and non interactive visual fixes.
Not really, no.
I don't usually use cheats with my "main" savegame. If I want to use cheats for whatever reason I just don't save afterwards or even use a different save slot from the beggining so I waon't overwrite anything.
I don't usually use cheats with my "main" savegame. If I want to use cheats for whatever reason I just don't save afterwards or even use a different save slot from the beggining so I waon't overwrite anything.
Cheating has enhanced my experience. Big Head Mode cheat in multi-player was hilarious! Cheats and exploits in single-player-only games should be left alone, monetization is ruining everything....
I modded Skyrim so bad that it just completely shatters the world building and immersion for me, and I end up dropping the game half way through cause I just don't feel absorbed anymore and the fun that came with the mods quickly faded away.
Quite the opposite. Having the option to cheat and hack single player games on PC has allowed me to explore games I usually would have avoided for fear of finding them too difficult or too stressful. Just recently I enjoyed Resident Evil Remake, my first traditional Survival Horror (I don't think Outlast really counts), and that was in no small part to the mods I had that allowed me to see a Health Bar, and the Trainer that allowed me to have infinite health, or turn off enemy AI with a simple keybind should I feel the need.
The result was that I could play through all the game, without ever having to use the trainer, but having the option there relaxed me a lot. It took away a lot of the anxiety that would usually overwhelm me, sending me running back to the familiar, loving embrace of Fallout, Assassin's Creed, etc, with my tail between my legs.
It's one of the main reasons I feel justified in my opinion that games like Sekiro should have difficulty options, games like Alien: Isolation should just have a setting that removes the Alien, instead of having to mod it out. I'm sure many would argue that the anxiety I talked about above is a key pillar of Resident Evil and the Survival Horror Genre experience, but I fell in love with Resident Evil despite that, and am happily making my way through Resident Evil 4 without needing the use of any mods or Trainers at all.
The result was that I could play through all the game, without ever having to use the trainer, but having the option there relaxed me a lot. It took away a lot of the anxiety that would usually overwhelm me, sending me running back to the familiar, loving embrace of Fallout, Assassin's Creed, etc, with my tail between my legs.
It's one of the main reasons I feel justified in my opinion that games like Sekiro should have difficulty options, games like Alien: Isolation should just have a setting that removes the Alien, instead of having to mod it out. I'm sure many would argue that the anxiety I talked about above is a key pillar of Resident Evil and the Survival Horror Genre experience, but I fell in love with Resident Evil despite that, and am happily making my way through Resident Evil 4 without needing the use of any mods or Trainers at all.
If you care about the money getting challenge in a game like Skyrim, just don't use it.
The option to mod/cheat is a great thing to have but it's up to you to judge if it will make the experience better or not.
It would be stupid to use a lv 99 cheat in a rpg if you love grind. Like, you have to know yourself just a little here.
The option to mod/cheat is a great thing to have but it's up to you to judge if it will make the experience better or not.
It would be stupid to use a lv 99 cheat in a rpg if you love grind. Like, you have to know yourself just a little here.
For Minecraft it's the opposite, once you've exhausted the vanilla game mods make it way better.
Why should it?
If I wanna cheat/mod then this is a perfectly fine OPTION to do so.
Heck, if the game bores/annoys me and I can fix that with cheats/mods then this is even better
If I wanna cheat/mod then this is a perfectly fine OPTION to do so.
Heck, if the game bores/annoys me and I can fix that with cheats/mods then this is even better
Depends on the game. I can't imagine playing through Dark Cloud and not exploiting the broken dagger trick. Nor play Dragons Dogma without infinite run stamina.
I'm far more likely to exploit bugs than I am straight up "cheat" though.
I'm far more likely to exploit bugs than I am straight up "cheat" though.
Not at all. On the contrary, if anything. Like, I'm really new to actually trying out mods/cheats on PC personally and so right now a lot of that stuff still goes over my head and so I wish it were more straightforward in a lot of cases and not require knowledge of/ability to he edit and stuff in the cases of more obscure games and the like.
Nonetheless, when I can get that stuff working, it's great and probably the only reason I'll ever finish some games. Like, for instance, I recently played Kero Blaster for the first time. And the final boss of that game, no matter what I tried, was just way above my skill level. Even with all weapons fully upgraded and everything, I always just got to the second phase with just a sliver of health left, and yeah,that wasn't happening (especially as, as I learned later, what I thought was the final boss was in fact not the actual final boss and there was a whole separate one after the two-phase boss, so yeah...).
But I found a guide on how to hex-edit the game and give myself extra health and stuff beyond the game's normal imits, and was able to brat it, something there was zero chance if me ever doing otherwise.
So yeah, I'm generay way more in favor than not and just wished I knew more about that type of thing myself so I didn't have to rely on stuff just hopefully already being out there for whatever I'm interested in.
The point being though, I'm very aware of what my limits in games are, and when I'm at that limit, that's the type of situation that would make me start looking into mods and cheats and the like, when there's absolutely zero chance of me finishing a game regardless, so nah, not in my case.
Nonetheless, when I can get that stuff working, it's great and probably the only reason I'll ever finish some games. Like, for instance, I recently played Kero Blaster for the first time. And the final boss of that game, no matter what I tried, was just way above my skill level. Even with all weapons fully upgraded and everything, I always just got to the second phase with just a sliver of health left, and yeah,that wasn't happening (especially as, as I learned later, what I thought was the final boss was in fact not the actual final boss and there was a whole separate one after the two-phase boss, so yeah...).
But I found a guide on how to hex-edit the game and give myself extra health and stuff beyond the game's normal imits, and was able to brat it, something there was zero chance if me ever doing otherwise.
So yeah, I'm generay way more in favor than not and just wished I knew more about that type of thing myself so I didn't have to rely on stuff just hopefully already being out there for whatever I'm interested in.
The point being though, I'm very aware of what my limits in games are, and when I'm at that limit, that's the type of situation that would make me start looking into mods and cheats and the like, when there's absolutely zero chance of me finishing a game regardless, so nah, not in my case.
No. I only ever give myself infinite money or something similar if a game has some extremely grindy mechanic.
Fallout 4's crafting system is tedious to gather resources for so I installed a mod that lets you use a holotape to give yourself the maximum amount of all resources and dump them into a crafting bench. This doesn't break the game since the more powerful weapons and armor are locked behind perks, so I still have to actually play the game to get more powerful.
Fallout 4's crafting system is tedious to gather resources for so I installed a mod that lets you use a holotape to give yourself the maximum amount of all resources and dump them into a crafting bench. This doesn't break the game since the more powerful weapons and armor are locked behind perks, so I still have to actually play the game to get more powerful.
Nope, I have self control. Plus, the cheats/trainers/mods/ etc extend the game for me so i can skip the really tedious resource gathering when I want to play it again.
What's the point of playing Ace Combat 7 without idol skins? Or Wild Arms 2 without cheating Anastasia into my party?
I only tend to cheat once I already feel done with the vanilla experience, or reckon I could fix something about it that I don't like.
It is impossible to fix WWE games.
Whether you play as intended or have Infinite Everything, I just don't understand how they're supposed to be enjoyable to play.
Modding did help me use Andrew WK's We Want Fun as entrance music and time it to the animation though. So that was good.
Cheating is arguably part of the vanilla experience of The Sims. Money cheats are for if you just want to build and create stuff, or set something up before plopping sims down and playing "for real." Ditto for moveobjects, which is a vital function if you want control over the visual design of lots. It's just hidden because it can make interactable items unusable for sims, or things can clip and look bad or whatnot.
If Rockstar were to ever release GTA simultaneously on PC I might have to face a dilemma, because GTA trainers are really impressive and fun to mess around with. Going back to a GTA that's not like a a magical sandbox would probably feel incredibly dull and restrictive. I might not be able to do it. But since GTA trainers and mods feel potentially endlessly entertaining, I don't think it would be a problem, unless it ends up breaking the game somehow.
It is impossible to fix WWE games.
Whether you play as intended or have Infinite Everything, I just don't understand how they're supposed to be enjoyable to play.
Modding did help me use Andrew WK's We Want Fun as entrance music and time it to the animation though. So that was good.
Cheating is arguably part of the vanilla experience of The Sims. Money cheats are for if you just want to build and create stuff, or set something up before plopping sims down and playing "for real." Ditto for moveobjects, which is a vital function if you want control over the visual design of lots. It's just hidden because it can make interactable items unusable for sims, or things can clip and look bad or whatnot.
If Rockstar were to ever release GTA simultaneously on PC I might have to face a dilemma, because GTA trainers are really impressive and fun to mess around with. Going back to a GTA that's not like a a magical sandbox would probably feel incredibly dull and restrictive. I might not be able to do it. But since GTA trainers and mods feel potentially endlessly entertaining, I don't think it would be a problem, unless it ends up breaking the game somehow.
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Apart from money glitches in GTAV and RDR2, I can't think of any of these that I've ever used. And I have no qualms about using them in those two games.
No.
But i usually don't mod games in a way that makes them a cakewalk.
It's either added complexity or stuff that's silly/fun. At for stuff like that i don't really care about the balance of the game anymore.
Also, especially in Rockstar games, the economy is more annoying to me than an interesting mechanic. So endless money/ammo etc makes the game more fun, not less.
But i usually don't mod games in a way that makes them a cakewalk.
It's either added complexity or stuff that's silly/fun. At for stuff like that i don't really care about the balance of the game anymore.
Also, especially in Rockstar games, the economy is more annoying to me than an interesting mechanic. So endless money/ammo etc makes the game more fun, not less.
i've truly never felt the need to cheat in RDR2
you got showered with everything you need and it's piss easy 🤷‍♂️
you got showered with everything you need and it's piss easy 🤷‍♂️
Came to this say
To answer the OP, I never feel the need to cheat in SP games, as If I'm interested in a game, I want to play it as intended
This is what I came to say. I can name a handful of games that I would have bounced right off without cheats rounding out the edges and gripes I had in them.
I don't use mods that really affect gameplay (usually just visual stuff) and I haven't really cheated since like the original Doom, so no I don't think it has ruined anything for me. Even if I did cheat or use mods, I wouldn't think so.
Actually lies: I used item duping in Oblivion, but I don't care. It didn't ruin anything for me.
Actually lies: I used item duping in Oblivion, but I don't care. It didn't ruin anything for me.
Nah. I only ever cheat if doing it the intended way isn't providing me with anything interesting. Going up those sheer cliffs in New Vegas is a lot more enjoyable then waltzing around another chunk of disposable Rad Scorpions in the wasteland just to get to the point right in front of me.
"Edges" is a great term for this. "Design flaws" would be another. Either way, cheats ultimately help developers, albeit without them knowing it, usually.
I'm glad the OPTION is there for people to use if they see fit. When I read someone complaining about cheats in a SINGLE PLAYER game because it's "tempting" I always had to scratch my head at that. It's YOUR experience. No one else's. If it's there for SOMEONE ELSE to use then..........it's fine?
To answer what I think the actual question is: Can I go back to a vanilla version if I already experienced a game with mods/cheats? Eh, it depends on how lazy I am in implementing those cheats. Just re-installed Oblivion and added the "Realistic Leveling" mod. I had a fine time with Vanilla Oblivion and ended up overpowered somehow, despite completely screwing up stat distributions during leveling, but nowadays I don't want to think about stat allocation.
I feel like it speaks a lot to a game's design. Sure, it may not be "the intention", but how many small things do we have to mod ourselves to make the gameplay more enjoyable? At least the examples I've seen listed in this thread thus far are self-improvements via mods. Some games are already trying to SELL solutions to problems that developers created themselves. (EXP Boosts/Infinite Storage being the two most egregious to come to mind)
To answer what I think the actual question is: Can I go back to a vanilla version if I already experienced a game with mods/cheats? Eh, it depends on how lazy I am in implementing those cheats. Just re-installed Oblivion and added the "Realistic Leveling" mod. I had a fine time with Vanilla Oblivion and ended up overpowered somehow, despite completely screwing up stat distributions during leveling, but nowadays I don't want to think about stat allocation.
I feel like it speaks a lot to a game's design. Sure, it may not be "the intention", but how many small things do we have to mod ourselves to make the gameplay more enjoyable? At least the examples I've seen listed in this thread thus far are self-improvements via mods. Some games are already trying to SELL solutions to problems that developers created themselves. (EXP Boosts/Infinite Storage being the two most egregious to come to mind)
Skyrim seems like a game that only gets better through mods. Hell I'd go as far as to say if you're playing without mods you're doing it wrong. That game is pretty much mod heaven. If you want it, it likely already exists and if it doesn't, the people with the info you need to make it yourself are a forum post away.
Theres a bunch of different teams all working away on a a beyond skyrim mod, each team taking a region, making and adding that to the game, with it's own music, own quests, own items and armour. All while working to make sure it fits with the them of the region, with the end goal being to have the entirety of Tamriel in the game. The scale of mods for this game is on a separate level.
Theres a bunch of different teams all working away on a a beyond skyrim mod, each team taking a region, making and adding that to the game, with it's own music, own quests, own items and armour. All while working to make sure it fits with the them of the region, with the end goal being to have the entirety of Tamriel in the game. The scale of mods for this game is on a separate level.
I usually just use visual mods, or custom game mod stuff, or 60fps mods in some cases. But they've only improved my experience. I usually only use God mode style cheats to achieve something specific and stupid that normally wouldn't be possible. That also is an improvement even when the game crashes.
I'm of mixed feelings. On the one hand, I never truly experienced the challenge and feelings of achievement of beating Contra without the Konami Code. On the other hand, I may never have completed the game or even seen the later levels without the Konami Code.
I ruined my run of Final Fantasy VIII by using a cheat code to make everyone levels 99. The game scales enemies to your level and between that and not really understanding the draw system, I got my ass kicked by the last boss.
Did manage to beat it this year without any cheats.
Did manage to beat it this year without any cheats.
Huge Nope.
I mean I just found out the Mass Effect 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod which adds so many new things which can easily be considered Canon. And so many other mods like graphics upgrade and getting multiplayer powers in SP.
I maybe late on the bandwagon but I am ready to play Mass Effect 3 for the 6th time..
I mean I just found out the Mass Effect 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod which adds so many new things which can easily be considered Canon. And so many other mods like graphics upgrade and getting multiplayer powers in SP.
I maybe late on the bandwagon but I am ready to play Mass Effect 3 for the 6th time..
Really depends on the game and the extent to which I've cheated.
In The Sims, it makes it much better for me at any level, I love messing around with all of its options (Sims 2 was great for this)
In Pokemon, I'll happily hack to change evolution methods (fuck you trade evos), make version/event exclusives available and make trainers harder, but couldn't imagine anything more boring than starting with a legendary/999 of all items etc..
In The Sims, it makes it much better for me at any level, I love messing around with all of its options (Sims 2 was great for this)
In Pokemon, I'll happily hack to change evolution methods (fuck you trade evos), make version/event exclusives available and make trainers harder, but couldn't imagine anything more boring than starting with a legendary/999 of all items etc..